Updates

ECC and Emerald Cities Cleveland proudly announce the launch of the E-Contractor Academy in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which will train minority, women, veteran and small contractors to compete for energy efficiency and other green construction projects. Thanks to financial support from JP Morgan Chase and in-kind contributions from the county, the seven-week program of one-day seminars, which begins in February, is free of charge to qualifying local contractors.

The E-Contractor Academy originated in Los Angeles in 2013 as a Citi Community Development-sponsored partnership between ECC and the County of Los Angeles. To date, academy graduates have landed more than $3 million in contract awards from LA County and another $12.46 million from the county’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

“The Cleveland/Cuyahoga County E-Contractor Academy will prepare small, minority, women and veteran contractors to successfully compete for, win and perform public- and private-sector energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area,” said EC Cleveland Director SeMia Bray, who will manage the Academy. Her work includes informing local contractors on how the program can help them expand their businesses while also improving the environment, growing the economy and ensuring equity for minority and other disadvantaged contractors.

Bray added, “E-Contractor Academy graduates will be in a position to participate in the up to $15 million in public- and private-sector projects currently in the pipeline for funding through the county’s Clean Energy Financing Hub, a resource that ECC helped create in 2015.”

Seminar Offerings

The seven-week program – to be held at 6100 W. Canal Road, Valley View, Ohio, 44115 – will begin February 1, 2017, continuing through March 8, with a graduation ceremony on March 15. Interested contractors can apply online.

The class schedule is as follows:

February 1: Introduction to procurement processes and bid requirements for public sector projects